


Plan of Action

by flinchflower



Series: Slash Me Twice [53]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: M/M, Spanking, Strategy, Wincest - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-12-17
Updated: 2011-12-17
Packaged: 2017-10-27 11:15:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,630
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/295207
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flinchflower/pseuds/flinchflower
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompt 53: Trolley.  Desert arc continues.  John puts together a plan of action, having heard Sam's confession about his connection to the demon.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Plan of Action

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Not for profit, simply a writing exercise. Herein lies Dean/Sam slash, in an AU timeline where John did not lose his life. John appears in parental context only. Follows in series from previous prompts, but stands alone if preferred.

John looks seriously at his sons. He’s repressing the desire to spank Sam senseless for sitting on a secret for so long, but he suspects that the tear streaks on the boy’s face are an indicator that Dean’s already done so. Then again, that doesn’t preclude John providing a follow up as well… He shakes it off.

“I see two things here, boys,” he says, once he has the whole story out of Sam, including some details that he’s pretty sure the kid hadn’t confessed to Dean. He holds up one finger. “One, Sam’s vulnerable. Not that we didn’t realize that before – Sam, one word, and I swear… Not that we haven’t recognized that,” he continues, “but I didn’t think it was that dire. We need to find protections for you.” He raises a second finger, his gaze still drilling into the two of them. “Two, we need to find more training for you, and I think for Dean and me as well. Now, I’ve got some ideas, and the top one is to head for ‘Frisco.”

“San Francisco? Why?” Sam’s face is a study. The last time they were there, the haunting had sucked – a moving trolley at midnight was not a good place for a fight.

“Because the one place where I think we can pull the biggest gun for both of those priorities is there. There’s a santero there I think can give you protection, and teach you a thing or two.” John smirks to himself. They might get some enjoyment out of it, too, the guy he’s going to contact is a friend Tess introduced him to. “Sam, I want to see a list of people you’ve thought of, and prioritized by the protective abilities. I need to talk to Dean.” The rebellion on his youngest sons’ face is instantaneous, and John quells his itchy fingers as he silences the whiny “why” that Sam had protested with.

“Because, son, I don’t head into combat situations without having my second in command well informed of my strategy. You, on the other hand, have only one primary objective, and that’s to monitor yourself so you’re not alerting the damn thing to what’s going on. Two secondary objectives, first being to practice the lessons you’ve already been taught, second being research. Ted’s gonna be here soon, and instead of me, you’re gonna go with him to see the elders, and explain this thing to them.” He watched Sam try to find something to object to, and then smothered a laugh as Dean frowned and laid a subtle hand on Sam’s backside. Sam turned the rebellion to Dean, and the older boy landed a sharp swat.

“You heard him. Up. I know you’re tired, you lay down until Ted gets here, and if you can’t sleep, you do those meditations Missouri taught you.” He raised a finger and pointed at the boy as Sam drew breath to argue. John pulled him off the campsite a ways into the shade of the rock formation.

“It’s too hot to walk, or we’d go further. You have a different primary objective than I do, Dean.”

He flashed his father a startled look. Sure, they’d discussed the fact that they wouldn’t be actively hunting, unless it was absolutely necessary, but he’s always been backup for John.

“You’re gonna be the one to keep your brother in line, Dean. I know all about your relationship, son. We’ve discussed it, and I’ve talked it over with Tess and Bobby.” The look on Dean’s face is slightly affronted, though he, the older, more obedient son, won’t say anything to criticize. “Hey, it’s not easy for me. Not what a father dreams about for his boys,” he states gruffly, and Dean nods. They’d talked to a couple people themselves. “I don’t care what you have to do. He eats and sleeps and takes care of himself, and practices what he’s been given to practice, and doesn’t set a toe out of the protections that will be laid on him.”

“You think that’s gonna go unnoticed?” Surely the damn demon will see the protections.

“Bobby’s gonna lay us a little distraction. Do you hear what I’m saying, son? I don’t care what I see, aside from I’d rather not watch you two making out or having sex.”

“Uh. Dude- ah, Dad, I mean, just, dang, well, say it, ok? I don’t want to make a mistake with this.” He scratches his head, uncomfortable.

“I’m telling you I’m aware of why he owns a collar, and that I’m aware that you don’t put it on him when you’re around me. That may have to stop.”

Dean put his head in his hands. Complicated. This is getting complicated.

“Dad, I’m gonna need your help with him. I can’t be the one to put all the pressure on him.”

“We’ll work it out. Don’t think this gets you out of behaving yourself, either.” The remark has Dean’s green eyes raising, startled, to see John’s gentle smile. “We’re a team, Dean, just like we’ve always been. I just don’t want you to hesitate to use resources available to you. I’m gonna be spending time on research, watching our six, and learning anything from Sam’s instructors that I need to. You’ll do the same learning, but you’ll be watching Sam, and I want you to try and look after the everyday stuff. The three of us train together, every day, you hear?”

His father’s words are sinking in, and his only reaction is to feel a flood of relief. He’d been worried that John wouldn’t be willing to give up the hunt, at least slightly. John’s hand cups his shoulder.

“It’ll work out, son.”

He’s embarrassed by the little choking sound that emerges as he tries to clamp down on his emotions. The fear Sam’s bald statements created is still running rampant through him, and it’s overlaid with a good amount of shame. Watching his father transform into a soldier, which he should have done himself, instead of getting all fucking girly about it and wanting his daddy, dammit. John puts an arm around him, pulls him in tight.

“Sam was worried you wouldn’t want to put the hunting on the back burner.” He offers up his brother’s worry as a shield, an excuse, and gets a knowing look from John that makes him blush.

“If I’ve told you both once, I’ve told you a million times, research is half of the hunt, boy. We’re about to do a lot of it, and I don’t doubt whatever we learn will turn us out better hunters in the end.” He gets a tighter grip on his son’s arm. “You teach him a lesson about sitting on intel, or do I need to?” Dean’s silence draws out a frown, and he tows his son another couple hundred yards away. “Son?”

“I just… man, Dad.” He’s shuffling his feet, not wanting to say what he’s thinking. John recognizes the behaviour for what it is, scowls.

“I taught you better than that. Report!” The crisp command has Dean straightening.

“Sir. Yessir, I did, and I…” John takes a step towards him, and Dean knows he’s got to fess up if he doesn’t want to catch a spanking himself. He doesn’t dare risk it, because if John turns him around to swat him, he’ll spot the paddle in Dean’s pocket. If there’s anything in the universe he’d want to avoid, it’s his father wielding a paddle, something that’s only happened a scant handful of times in his life. The man’s hand is bad enough, when he dishes out a spanking. Except he waits too long before continuing, and…

“One.”

 _Fuck! Counting!_ “You’ve had him over your knee an awful lot this week, and I can still see the marks. I think it’d be better for him if you backed what I gave him up with a couple swats of your own, but I don’t think you should be hard on him.” The words come out all in a rush. Either way, he’s screwed, but not making John wait until three would substantially reduce his sentence.

John contemplates his son in silence. “You trying to say I was out of line, correcting him the way I’ve been?”

“Nosir. It’s just been… frequent. He… too much and it’ll do more harm than good. And he’s pretty close to that line.”

The older man nods, glad that Dean recognizes the line himself. He tries not to cross it, not with either boy, but Sam lately would try the patience of an angel. Fine. He’ll go easy on the boy, and he’ll do it quickly, hoping that Dean made an impression earlier, because that’ll do half the work for him. He sighs and reaches for his oldest son, not willing to let the earlier infraction slide. The last thing he needs is for Dean to let that inner cowboy out, and try to handle all this alone.

He turns the kid around, and represses a chuckle, seeing the paddle in Dean’s pocket. Pulling it out, he hands it up to the boy.

“You hang onto that for the next minute, here, son, and think about it.” And with that, he wraps an arm around Dean’s waist and lands four hard, no nonsense swats on the upturned backside, no more, no less than the standard punishment. He saves Dean from the decision as to whether the paddle might slide back into the jeans pocket without killing him, because John knows the swats were harder than usual, knows they’re going to sting for a while. Accepting the paddle back from the boy with a wry smile, he heads back to where Sam is. Maybe he can use the presence of the paddle to his advantage.

**Author's Note:**

> Music: Bon Jovi - I'll Be There For You


End file.
